Halifax Transit Bus makes a stop on Spring Garden Road. Photo: Steve MacArthur
The city has announced it’s pumping the brakes on the bus-only pilot program on Spring Garden Road.
The Halifax Regional Municipality says it will pause the project until further notice as of Friday, July 8th.
The initiative just launched on Monday but was quickly met with confusion as Spring Garden shifted to a buses-only street between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.
The municipality says it will re-evaluate the current measures to prevent regular traffic flow.
“The municipality intends to re-evaluate the current traffic control measures to recommend alternative methods to communicate and enforce the pilot initiative,” a news release says.
That means Spring Garden Road, from Queen to South Park streets, will return to normal traffic flow.
Other measures include:
- Vehicle access will be maintained on Spring Garden southbound on Birmingham Street, northbound on Dresden Row and northbound on Brenton Street;
- Clyde Street will remain two-way between South Park Street and Queen Street;
- Stopping is not permitted along Spring Garden, from Queen to South Park streets, outside of the one designated loading area; and,
- Cyclists and pedestrians will continue to have access at all times.
When it launched on Monday, cars and trucks continued to roll down the historic street for most of the day, many seemingly unaware of the change.
The city says the goal is to prioritize the transit system and encourage more foot traffic and cyclists in the area.
**With files from Steve MacArthur.
